A numerical analysis of pressure drop and particle capture efficiency by rectangular fibers using LB-DE methods

In this work, a coupled lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and discrete element method (DEM) are used to simulate the particle transport and deposition on rectangular fibers of a clean filter. The LBM is employed to describe the fluid flow around the fibers, whereas the DEM is used to deal with the particle dynamics. The effects of the Reynolds number, the fiber aspect ratio and the arrangement of fibers (i.e., orientation angle of a fiber) on the pressure drop and capture efficiency are investigated at the initial stage of the filtration process. The quality factor, commonly used to determine the filtration performance, is also studied. The simulation results illustrate that both pressure drop and capture efficiency are dependent on the orientation angle and aspect ratio. The Reynolds number has only a slight influence on the capture efficiency but has a significant effect on the pressure drop for high aspect ratio. A good filter performance can be obtained for a square fiber when the orientation angle is from the quality factor standpoint.